BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0.1 Security features explained

When Alec Saunders first made a statement regarding how RIM was going to do to curb piracy on the PlayBook everyone assumed that RIM was going to eliminate side-loading of apps. Saunders was in fact not referring to side-loading, but rather the efforts that have been baked into the PlayBook OS 2.0.1 update to help deter piracy.

Here is how the security features were detailed and explained on the Inside BlackBerry DevBlog site;

Backup Files Tied to a BlackBerry ID

Backup files created using BlackBerry® Desktop Manager are now tied to a BlackBerry® ID account. This prevents users from sharing backup files between devices, but still allows them to switch devices. If a user needs to move to a different BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet, they can restore their backup files to the new device after configuring their new device with their BlackBerry ID.

Backup Files are Encrypted

Starting in BlackBerry Tablet OS 2.0.1, backup files are now encrypted. This not only helps to protect a user’s data, but also your applications. The key for the backup file is also tied to a user’s BlackBerry ID account, meaning each user has a different encryption key for their backup file.

How Developers Can Protect Their Applications

You might be thinking that this is all well and good for the future, but won’t the people who pirate applications just leave their BlackBerry PlayBook tablet at version 2.0.0, which doesn’t encrypt backup files? This is a possibility, but one you can help to mitigate. History has shown us that approximately 90% of BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users upgrade their device within a month of an upgrade being released. This means that in a month from now, most of your target audience will be running version 2.0.1.

And so, the BlackBerry App World™ Vendor Portal comes to the rescue! In a month from now (or when you release the next update to your application), you can set the minimum OS version required by your product to version 2.0.1, preventing it from being downloaded on a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet running a lower version. This will help thwart those individuals who may want to try to extract your application files from a backup made using a lower version, because they won’t see it listed in the BlackBerry App World storefront catalogue on their device, therefore they won’t be able to install it.